


When I Say That Somethin'

by adagietto4



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: 2026 Olympics, And Tessa doesn't mind, Fluff, Scott is looking for a new partner, Skating to old program music, You thinkin a little angsty??, but with a twist, holiday fic, think again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 04:06:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16189733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adagietto4/pseuds/adagietto4
Summary: Tessa heard the familiar squeak of the changing room door followed by a high-pitched giggle and a muffled “Shhhh!!” She caught the pom-pom from the top of Scott’s toque appear from around the corner, his own skates in hand. Tessa stood up to look and caught his eye, and he returned with the biggest smile and beckoned her over, directing her attention to the hallway.“Come on out,” Scott called.From around the corner waddled a little three-foot-nothing bundle of pink, her white skates and helmet clutched in her padded grip.ORIt’s December 2024, and Scott is looking for a new partner for the upcoming 2026 Olympics, so he holds auditions back home in Ilderton.





	When I Say That Somethin'

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thank the whole "squang" (Debbie, Annika, Andrea, and Eve) for the support even through the ruthless teasing. Special shoutout to Debs for coming up with the idea for this fic in the first place! I hope I've done your idea justice :)

Tessa walked through the doors of the Ilderton Skating Club half an hour behind Scott, her skates in tow. Waltzing through the lobby, she took her time to read all of the plaques and banners displayed throughout the arena, many of which were in honour of her and Scott.

There were banners and medals dating back to their very first competition (or at least copies of them—their moms kept the originals) all the way up to Pyeongchang. Their team silver medals were held in one of the display cabinets, a little worn with use of being handed around (they weren’t overly careful with their medals from Sochi), and other relics from their other games were prized possessions that the arena staff proudly displayed and showed off to visitors.

(However their most prized possessions of all stayed with them at all times, affixed to the fourth finger of their left hands.)

That morning, however, there were no visitors. Scott had asked his mom for the keys to the arena the night before, purposefully not telling her what for. The only person who knew what he was up to was Tessa.

She rounded the corner and glanced at the ice. No Scott. He must have been back in one of the changing rooms, she figured. She sighed and bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation, swaying back and forth slightly in a calming motion. She thought back to their conversation three weeks prior to their journey home for the holidays.

“So the next Olympics are in Calgary,” Scott mentioned as they sat down tiredly for a very late and quiet dinner. Tessa’s eyes widened. She knew what he was getting at.

“Scott,” she started, “I am not doing another Olympics. I can’t. _We_ can’t.”

Scott sighed. “I know we’re not as young or fit as we used to be, but I think we could pull it off!” He grinned playfully at her. “Think about it Tess, we may never get another shot at a home Olympics ever again!” She understood that he was only throwing the idea around, so she decided to play along, to a certain extent. 

“Well, I definitely cannot do it, out of the question,” she began, “But what if you went with someone else?” She smiled coyly at him. He returned the expression, laughing softly.

“And who did you have in mind?” He asked, pretending to write notes down on the palm of his hand and raising one eyebrow.

“I think you know who,” She stated calmly, smiling seriously at him.

Scott stopped pretending and gawked slightly at Tessa, a smile still barely visible on his face. “You really think so?” He asked.

“I think she’d be tickled to even be considered.” Tessa smiled at him genuinely, letting herself ponder the idea of Scott actually skating with someone else. For once, she didn’t internally cringe. Instead, her heart felt light and her stomach giddy with butterflies at the thought of him skating with _her_. “You could hold ‘auditions’ and everything! Make it seem official. I think she’d love it.”

Scott smiled back at her. Suddenly there were a hundred things going through his head at once. “Where would we even do it, though? We'd need to make it extra special.”

“Christmas is only a few weeks away,” Tessa added, “You could totally do them at the arena in Ilderton. You know your mom would give you the keys in a heartbeat.”

Scott laughed nervously at her. “Stop feeding into my hopeless fantasy, T.”

“I don’t think it’s hopeless at all, Scott,” she said. “I for one would love to see you two skate together.”

He scoffed. “We don’t know if she’s any good.”

Tessa rolled her eyes. “Scott, you and I both know she’s going to be amazing. It’s impossible for her not to be.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right, like usual.” He went quiet for a moment, but the decision didn’t take much thought. “You know what, let’s do it.”

“Really?” She beamed.

“Yeah, I can just borrow the keys to the rink from my mom and we’re all set!”

So that was why almost three weeks to the date Tessa stood waiting for Scott and his potential new partner to take the ice, her phone at the ready to take pictures. She definitely wanted to cherish this memory. She made her way over to the bench and sat down as she waited, placing her skates beside her. She’d need help with them later.

Suddenly she heard the familiar squeak of the changing room door followed by a high-pitched giggle and a muffled “Shhhh!!” and she couldn’t help but smile. She caught the pom-pom from the top of Scott’s toque appear from around the corner, his own skates in hand. Tessa stood up to look and caught his eye. He gave her the biggest smile she’d seen from him in weeks (they’d both been so tired) and beckoned her over, directing her attention to the hallway.

“Come on out,” Scott called.

From around the corner waddled a little three-foot-nothing bundle of pink, her white skates and helmet clutched in her padded grip. Tessa couldn’t help but let out a soft “awww”. She looked at Scott, who was beaming from ear to ear both at her and the Michelin Man in front of them. The marshmallow let out a tiny gasp when she saw Tessa.

“Mama!” She yelled, dropping her skates and helmet and running over to Tessa, who was crouched down, ready to catch the little girl softly in her arms.

“Gentle, my sweet,” Tessa said, holding the little girl out in front of her as she placed a hand on the lump under her coat. The little girl giggled and patted her mother’s chest as she planted kisses on both of her cheeks. “Now, miss Sophie, are you ready to go on the ice with daddy?”

The poor bundle (Sophie) nodded furiously and bounced up and down excitedly. “Yeah, yeah, yeah!” She cried.

Tessa stood back up and took her hand and her gear, leading her over to Scott. Looking back up at Scott, she wasn't surprised to catch him wiping away a stray tear with his new mittens he’d gotten for Christmas.

“Oh,” Tessa murmured, “Please don’t start crying, or else I’ll start crying.”

“No cry, Daddy,” Sophie told him, grabbing onto his pant leg with her mittened fist and tugging on it. He crouched down to her level and pulled her into a bear hug. Tessa took that as a photo opportunity and snatched a few pictures.

“I’m not crying, Soph,” he told her. “I’m just so happy to finally get to skate with you. I’ve been waiting for so long.”

Sophie smiled her infectious smile. “I gonna be the best partner,” she squealed. Scott glanced up at Tessa for approval before answering. She smiled back at him and nodded.

“Yes, Sophie, you will be the _best_ partner ever.” He pulled her in for another hug and wiped away another tear before she could notice. 

Tessa handed him their daughter’s skates as they made their way over to the bench, sitting down beside Tessa’s own. Scott crouched down once again in front of Sophie, removed his mittens, and took one of her skates in his hand, motioning for her to stick out her foot. He pulled off her little boot and tickled the sole of her foot, causing her laughter to echo through the rink, before shoving the first skate on and lacing it up.

Tessa gazed at them with her hands in her coat pockets and wondered how she ever got to be so lucky. Scott caught her eye and gave her a wink, seeming to know exactly what she was thinking. _Love you_ , he mouthed.

 _I love you too_ , she mouthed back as Scott finished putting on Sophie's other skate. Their daughter eagerly stood up and to no surprise, almost immediately fell over, her ankles giving out on her. She fell back onto the bench beside her mother with a defeated sigh, causing Tessa and Scott to laugh at her and give her reassuring smiles. Tessa placed a hand under Sophie's chin and turned her head towards her, placing her helmet on her mop of light brown, almost dirty blond, hair and buckling it up.

“Ouch, Mama,” Eveline whined. “It hurt.”

Tessa gave a sympathetic smile. “I know, my sweet, but only for a little bit. It’s going to make sure you don’t bump your head if you fall! That would hurt even more.”

Their daughter steeled her face and gave a quick nod. Scott stood up and moved to sit on the bench next to Tessa, placing his skates on the rubber at his feet.

“Now,” he started, “Just wait a sec before going onto the ice. Daddy has to put his stakes on, too!”

“And Mama,” Tessa added, motioning towards her own skates, which she got mixed responses for. Scott’s head whipped around, eyes wide and sceptical, and Sophie started bouncing again and giggling profusely.

“Tess,” he began, “Are you sure? What about—“ he pointed to her chest. Tessa only smiled and patted the lump once more.

“He’ll be fine,” she replied. Scott nodded slowly but didn’t argue. Instead he turned his attention to his own skates, his hands flying as he weaved the laces back and forth, mesmerizing their daughter, who stared in awe. Tessa sat patiently waiting for him to finish before he laced hers up, removing her boots and bouncing her socked feet on the floor in the meantime. Scott took notice of her fidgeting and glanced up at her curiously, asking with his eyes _What are you doing?_

She answered him by smiling down at the lump under her coat and giving a sigh. _He likes it._

Scott smiled back at her and gently reached up and patted her coat. “Are you sure you’ll be okay with him on the ice?”

Tessa sighed at him. “I’ll be fine, Scott,” she insisted, “If I can skate at seven and a half months pregnant, I can handle this. I just can’t tie my skates because I can’t reach down.”

Scott finished lacing his own skates and moved to crouch down again in front of Tessa. She handed him her skates and leaned back on her hands, relieving some of the pressure on her shoulders. Beside them, Sophie started giggling again.

“And what are you so giggly about, Sope-y?” asked Tessa. Eveline beamed up at her mom and pointed to her coat again.

“Mama gonna skate wit Wesley?” she asked. Tessa hummed, smiling and leaning down to bump her nose against her daughter’s, sending her into a giggling fit yet again.

“Mhm,” she answered, reaching up to unzip her coat just a little bit, revealing the lump to be a baby carrier. “See?” She pulled back the side of her coat to unveil the flushed, smushed up face of their one-month old son, sound asleep against his mother’s chest, content with the slight incessant bouncing of Tessa’s knee and the rhythmic beat of her heart. Sophie started to giggle again (Tessa wasn’t sure if she’d ever stopped).

Scott stopped his lacing of Tessa’s skates and stole a peak at his son. He moved to sit next to Tessa and gingerly placed a hand on the baby’s head, removing the soft knitted cap (a Christmas gift, identical to Eveline’s mittens, from Alma) to marvel at his dark tufts of hair. He softly rubbed the front of the carrier, working his hand up to cup his little head. Scott bent forward to place a feather-light kiss to the top of his son’s head, his down-like hair tickling his lips. Replacing his cap and leaning back to look at his son’s face, Scott felt a surge of glee go through him as he saw the baby’s tiny mouth form the faintest smile. Scott gave a soft laugh and ran his hand up and down the front of the carrier.

“That’s my favourite thing,” he whispered, not taking his eyes off of him. He heard Tessa’s soft chuckle and glanced up at her. Her eyes were brimming with tears and her face alight with the softest and sweetest smile that Scott never got tired of seeing.

“Okay,” he confessed, “My second favourite.” He snaked his arm around her neck and pulled her in for a quick kiss, her smile spreading to his lips.

“Ew, Daddy!” Sophie screeched, causing her parents to break apart with a sigh. Scott flashed a mischievous smile at his daughter, reaching out and snatching her, pulling her into his lap. Her’s and Scott’s peels of laughter echoed around the rink loudly, and Tessa couldn’t help but feel so thankful that they were alone so that no one else could ruin this perfect moment.

Turns out they didn’t need anyone else to ruin the moment. The cries of laughter from Scott and Sophie turned into real cries from Wesley, prompting Tessa to stand up and continue her bouncing in an attempt to get the baby calm down and go back to sleep.

“Oh,” Scott crooned, “I’m sorry, bud.” He walked over and gave the baby carrier a pat on the bum before motioning for Tessa to sit back down so he could finish lacing her skates. Reluctantly, she sat down, little Wesley wailing into her chest. Scott winced.

“Is he hungry?” He asked as he tucked the laces into the boot of Tessa’s skate.

Tessa shook her head, craning her neck to gently nuzzle Wesley’s head with her cheek in an effort to calm him down, to no avail. “I fed him _and_ changed him before we came here.”

Scott smiled warmly. “Maybe he’s just excited to get out onto the ice.”

“Me too,” Sophie added through the shrieks. Then Scott’s face and eyes lit up with an idea. He immediately stood up and headed towards the door to the ice without a word.

“Where are you going?” Tessa called after him.

“I have an idea!” He responded, removing his phone from his pocket and flashing it at Tessa before stepping onto the surface. He skated to a halt in front of the little booth on the other side of the ice and stepped in, disappearing behind the boards for a moment. Tessa and Sophie heard the loud _pop_ of the speakers as Scott flicked them on, and then slowly, as though in the waking moment of a dream, the opening sigh of the fourth movement of Mahler’s fifth symphony filled the arena, drowning out Wesley’s cries.

By the time Scott got back to the bench, Wesley’s crying had ceased. Instead, he looked around the arena with great wonder, squinting lazily in the bright white lights as Sophie reached up to wipe the tears from her brother’s face with her new woolen mittens. They matched Scott’s.

Replacing his mittens, Scott took Sophie's hand and lead her to the door. Tessa knelt down behind them and snatched a few more pictures as Scott stepped out onto the ice. He turned around and quickly picked up Sophie before plopping her down onto the ice, encouraging his daughter to “Take it easy, don’t worry, Soph.”

Slowly but surely, Sophie began to get her footing. She scraped her feet back and forth in a running-like motion as she tried to gain traction. Eventually she began drifting forward towards Scott.

“Look, Mommy!” Sophie boasted, whipping her head around to look at Tessa. The momentum of her turn sent her tumbling down onto her bum with a thud.

“Oh,” Tessa yelped, her eyes gone wide. “Are you ok, sweet?”

Scott skated over to her and was immediately by her side, kneeling down and rubbing his hand up and down her back comfortingly.

“You ok, bud?” Scott asked. Sophie stared back at him, a stunned look on her face. Scott gave her cheek a pinch to pull her from her reverie, sending her into another fit of giggles. Scott giggled back at her as he pulled her to her feet.

“Here, Soph,” Scott instructed, “Keep your feet straight.” Sophie did as she was told and looked up at her father, a frightened look on her face. 

“I wanna hold you hand, Daddy,” She whimpered, looking up at him with big eyes, having been a little shaken by her fall. Scott gave her a kiss on her helmet as he took her hands in his and started skating backwards, pulling her along the ice to the lull of the music. Sophie's face melted as she cried out in delight as Scott pulled her this way and that way, grinning at each other with identical smiles.

Tessa put her phone back in her pocket and removed her coat, exposing the baby carrier. Luckily for Wesley, his mother had swaddled him in the softest and warmest blanket she could find before heading to the rink, so he felt no difference. Tessa, too, felt little difference, both due to her countless hours spent in skating rinks and the heater attached to her chest. She gave Wesley a little pat on the bum and a kiss to the crown of his head before slipping on her own mittens (which matched the pattern on Wesley’s cap) and heading out onto the ice to join Scott and Sophie.

Together, the four of them waltzed around to the swell and fade of the music. Tessa and Scott took turns holding Sophie's hands, and for a few minutes each took a hand and skated with her in between them, their smiles never fading.

Scott recognized one of the musical cues near the end of the piece and instinctively skated around in front of Tessa, coming to a halt and easing himself down onto one knee, holding his arms out for her. Gracefully, she let herself herself descend into his hands, pulling her close as she lay on his knee, Wesley wedged gently in between them. Neither had noticed that he had nodded off again, the rhapsody of Mahler’s fifth like a lullaby. His head lolled gently to one side, cradled by the blanket and both of his parents’ chests. Sophie, too, hopped giddily onto Scott’s free leg, not wanting to be left out of the moment. He rubbed his hand along his daughter’s arm and instinctively she relaxed into his chest, her head resting just underneath his chin.

Just like in the ending pose of the iconic free dance, Tessa and Scott reached their arms out and curled their hands together. Unlike the end of the iconic free dance, however, their hands didn’t come to rest in between their heads. Instead, they came down upon their children, encompassing them all in a tight, tender, loving embrace.

Scott took a moment as the music faded away to gazed at his children, his wife—his whole world, honestly—in his arms. He locked eyes with Tessa and before he could notice, his eyes were brimming with tears and he couldn’t do anything to help it. He closed his eyes and said the only thing he could think of that would match the meaning and sentiment of the moment, a tear or two creeping down his cheeks.

“Thank you so much.”

Tessa couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as she choked out a laugh mixed with a sob. Scott opened his eyes again to see Tessa’s hand graze his face, wiping away his tears. She cradled his face with her mittened hand, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb and brought her lips to his.  They kissed tenderly for a moment before breaking apart and resting their foreheads together, turning to study each of their children. 

Sophie Kathryn and Wesley Patrick MacCormack were cuddled together on their parents’ chests. Sophie, ever the caring older sister and having inherited her father’s emotional side, brushed her tiny hand across Wesley’s even tinier forehead, murmuring “boop, boop, boop,” in a soft sing-song voice. Wesley, having inherited his mother’s incapableness to resist anything Moir, smiled contently in his sleep. 

Tessa’s breath caught as she thought about just how incredibly lucky she was to have such a amazing husband and two amazing children. How they finally managed to get their timing right and work everything out and ultimately come together to share the rest of their lives together. Sometimes she thinks that they didn’t choose to spend the rest of their lives together, actually, but fate did. Some other godly force willed them to be together, they just took their time realizing it (twenty years, to be exact). She took a deep breath and peered back up at Scott.

“No, Scott,” she whispered, “Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please feel free to leave a comment, they're greatly appreciated!  
> PS. Anyone guess where the idea for the title came from? Hint: it's from a song, and the title is somewhere in this fic...  
> PPS. Come talk to me on Twitter @owlie24! I don't bite :)
> 
> Edit: I've changed the name of their daughter for continuity with another fic I'm currently writing! She's now Sophie Kathryn. Please let me know if this copies another fic or if I missed an "Eveline" so I can change it!


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